Central New York nears record power usage amid heatwave, National Grid says

Syracuse, NY -- Sweltering temperatures in Syracuse and Central New York this week have sent people scrambling for their air conditioners and National Grid has noticed.

The utility company has seen demand for electricity soar as the area has endured four consecutive days with temperatures reaching 90 degrees or higher.

According to National Grid spokeswoman Virginia Limmiatis, Central New York reached a peak power usage of 6,909 megawatts in July 2011. Tuesday's power usage came to 6,681 megawatts and Wednesday's usage was likely 200 megawatts higher.

On an average day, between 5,500 and 6,000 megawatts are used, Limmiatis said.

"So we've been inching towards that peak from 2011," she said. "We're monitoring the system very closely."

There haven't been any outages from overuse in the system and a brownout or blackout is unlikely, but energy officials across the state have urged the public to take steps to conserve power, such as limiting air conditioner use and turning to fans.